Will Daniel Ricciardo be at Red Bull's 2026 F1 launch?

Daniel Ricciardo

Will Daniel Ricciardo be at Red Bull's 2026 F1 launch?

Ricciardo is set to be reunited with F1 colleagues in a rare appearance

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Wednesday 14 January 2026 21:56

Daniel Ricciardo may not have competed in F1 since the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix, but his presence is still felt in motorsport.

The Aussie racer went from being Max Verstappen's team-mate to becoming a casualty of Red Bull's revolving lineup, but he has now retired from F1 entirely.

Instead, the 36-year-old has put his charisma and petrol-headed nature to use as an ambassador for American automotive giants Ford.

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Since taking up the role, Ricciardo has done just about everything from heading up a collaboration between Ford and his clothing brand Enchante, to getting back behind the wheel to go Raptor jumping.

But now, the eight-time grand prix winner will return be reunited with former F1 colleague Verstappen and his replacement Liam Lawson as part of Red Bull and Ford's 2026 launch.

Why are Red Bull part of Ford's 2026 season launch?

After last year's collective F1 75 Live event at London's O2, the onus has fallen on the individual teams once again this year to plan their own launches.

But Red Bull and junior outfit Racing Bulls will be putting on a joint event for 2026, hosted by the energy drink giant's new technical partner, Ford.

On January 15 (3am on January 16 for those following GMT), the two F1 teams will kickstart the 2026 car launches as the first to reveal their new looks for the upcoming season.

Verstappen will be joined by new team-mate Isack Hadjar and Lawson will help introduce rookie Arvid Lindblad to the glitz and glam of the sport as part of Ford's season launch event at Michigan Central Station.

Ricciardo is also set to make an appearance thanks to his ambassadorial role, something which was confirmed earlier this month with an exciting teaser video which the ex-F1 driver starred in.

Though Red Bull are moving towards using their own powertrains in F1 after the departure of Honda to Aston Martin, they have called upon Ford to get the project rolling.

To usher in the Red Bull Ford powertrains era ahead of the partnership's first year in F1 together, Red Bull and Racing Bulls will feature as part of Ford's 2026 event, which will also feature their Dakar, Le Mans and Nascar challengers in their biggest-ever season launch.

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